All-women comedy festival in Austin, TX

BettyFest 2017 Benefiting Lilith Fund

The BettyFest team is thrilled to announce this year’s beneficiary will be the Lilith Fund!

In supporting and uplifting women in comedy, we are #blest to be able to partner with an organization supporting Texas women in a major way.

We spoke with the Lilith Fund’s Executive Director, Amanda Williams, about abortion access in Texas and the dire need for support

BettyFest: What makes the Lilith Fund’s work so vital to our community/Texas women?
Amanda Williams: Lilith Fund fund abortion and advocates for systemic change through the movement for reproductive justice. We work to bridge the gap between what resources our clients have and what they need to make their reproductive choices a reality. We understand the implications that reproductive justice has in people’s lives and we want to ensure that all people, regardless of income or any other factor, have the ability to exercise the human right to a safe abortion. All people deserve the opportunity to create the best lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. Lilith Fund honors these values of reproductive justice through our advocacy and the services we provide to our clients.BF: What are some organizations Lilith Fund works with to make sure clients are taken care of?
AW: We proudly partner with many local practical support organizations working hard to ensure that patients make it to their appointments. Organizations include: Fund Texas Choice, The Bridge Collective, Frontera Fund, Clinic Access Support Network, West Fund, TEA Fund, and more. Of course, we also work closely with the local clinics in our service area who provide such excellent care to our clients! Locally in Austin we work with Whole Woman’s Health, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, and Austin Women’s Health Clinic.

BF: What is the need? What areas do you serve?
AW: Last year, we heard from more than 6,000 people in Texas who needed an abortion but couldn’t afford it. The need is consistently growing and unfortunately we’re only able to offer funding to about 1/4 of our callers due to lack of funds. We serve the entire southern half of Texas.

BF: As the Executive Director, How did you get into this work?
AW: I came to this work as a queer Latina feminist organizer who is deeply passionate about reproductive health, rights, and justice. I had an abortion when I was 19 years old as a college freshman, so this work is also extremely personal. It’s an honor and a privilege to do this work with an organization whose values are so closely aligned with mine and I am so proud of my board, staff, volunteers, and supporters who make our mission possible.

BF: What about this partnership are you/LF excited about?
AW: We’re so honored to work with strong (and hilarious!) women to raise awareness of abortion access in Texas. It’s really refreshing to bring humor into the fold because abortion can seem so bleak and dark in the existing narratives that media puts out there. We’re looking forward to an approach that embodies the destigmatization and boldness of abortion advocacy. As a smaller & less mainstream organization, our work tends to be more behind the scenes and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to be lifted up through BettyFest. We are always excited to partner with feminist groups who understand the importance of highlighting the experiences of those most impacted by the issues we care about.

Amanda and her team have spent the summer at the Capitol fighting for proper healthcare, which includes reproductive equity for all. All proceeds from this year’s BettyFest will go to the Lilith Fund to support the incredibly important work they do for women around Texas.